Best night of pro career: Stopped Livin Castillo (15-7-1, 10 KOs) in three rounds in his last fight on May 30, dispatching the South American southpaw quicker and in more impressive fashion than experienced veterans Oleg Maskaev and Bruce Seldon and RING-ranked contenders Eddie Chambers and Alexander Povetkin did.

Worst night of pro career: Dropped tough Mike Miller with a combination near the end of the first round of his fourth pro bout, in March of 2006, but lost his composure and tried to force a knockout in the following three rounds. He went the distance for the first time against the Ohio journeyman because he didnít set up his power punches.

Next fight: Takes on William Shahan (7-1, 6 KOs) on the Alfredo Angulo-Gabriel Rosado undercard at Buffalo Billís Star Arena in Primm, Nev., on Friday. The six-round bout might make the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights broadcast. Shahan is a late sub for Victor Barragan. The 30-year-old West Virginianís only loss is to prospect Derrick Rossy and he has a win over Jon Schneider, a cruiserweight prospect who took part in The Contender: Season Four.

Why heís a prospect: A solid amateur background and excellent gym experience has given Kauffman seasoning that goes beyond his 17 pro bouts and 23 years. Serving as a sparring partner for former titleholders Maskaev and Tim Witherspoon when he was still a teenager and engaging in gym wars with former champ Hasim Rahman and current contender Chris Arreola in recent years has bolstered his confidence and helped round out his style, which is another of his strengths. Kauffman is a boxer-volume puncher with heavy hands and sharp technique. An extra edge to his style is his ability to fight effectively as a southpaw. Seven of his 14 knockouts were scored while boxing from a left-handed stance. His chin appears to be solid, so far.

Why heís a suspect: Until recently, his work ethic was nothing to brag about. Kauffman was always overweight in the amateurs, often weighing in the 250s and 240s when the low 220s would have suited him best. As a pro his weight fluctuated from the 220s to the 240s until recent bouts where heís kept it in the low 220s. However, his new found discipline in training doesnít always carry over to his technique in the ring. Kauffman sometimes neglects his jab and elects to fight in close quarters when he would be better suited boxing from a distance.

Story lines: Kauffman began boxing at age 10 at the behest of his father, an amateur trainer at the time, but he soon rejected the sport he felt he was being forced into. He returned to the gym and his fatherís coaching at age 15 when a Reading Golden Gloves boxer beat him up in school. He wanted to learn how to box and enter the citywide Golden Gloves tournament so he could get ďrevengeĒ in the ring. He got his revenge and also found that he had considerable talent for boxing. Two years after returning to the sport, Kauffman made it to the semi-finals of the 2003 national Golden Gloves tournament where he faced the more mature and experienced Travis Walker, who won their bout by close decision. Walker, who won the title that year, knocked everyone else out. Kauffamn, only 17, had just entered the open division. In 2004, Kauffman won the national PAL tournament, and in 2005, he took gold at the Jose Cheo Aponte international invitational in Puerto Rico. However, that same year Kauffman, 19 at the time, was accused of having consensual sex with a 12-year-old, a statutory rape charge that had him facing a mandatory five-to-10-year sentence and threatened to derail any hope of having a pro career. Because Kauffman was also accused of selling marijuana to undercover police the previous year, his legal counsel convinced him to take a plea deal due to the possibility of him facing even more time. But in 2007, after Kauffman had gone 10-0 as a pro, he got a new lawyer and later withdrew his guilty plea. At a trial in March of 2008, he was acquitted of the rape charge after two hours of jury deliberations, however, his numerous appearances in court kept him out of the ring and the gym for 14 months (between April of 2007 and June of 2008) and he ballooned to 310 pounds. He worked off the weight and the rust in early 2008 by working as a sparring partner for Arreola and Rahman, before returning to the ring and winning seven consecutive bouts by knockout.